


The Lady of Situations

by ShastaFirecracker



Category: Last Exile
Genre: Gen, Pre-Series
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-16
Updated: 2015-08-16
Packaged: 2018-04-14 23:37:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,317
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4584534
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ShastaFirecracker/pseuds/ShastaFirecracker
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Back at the academy, before war and deceit and fire in the sky, four friends attend a summer festival.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Lady of Situations

“What in the world did she do to convince him to come, anyway?” Sophia asked, smiling.

“Can’t you tell, my dear?” replied Vincent, grinning broadly and accompanying his words with a sweeping, formal half-bow and taking Sophia’s arm in his. “It’s true love.”

She laughed and held his arm as primly as the most aloof of ladies might, and altered her gait to complement his exaggerated swagger. A little in front of them walked the other two members of their party - Euris with a spring in her step, her long auburn hair shot with gold in the sun, and Alex with his head bowed and shoulders rolled forward, as always. Yet Sophia was sure that he walked a little taller than usual, and if she could see his face she was certain she would see the small smile there that only appeared around Euris. Vincent may have been joking, but it was only because they could already see the truth for themselves.

The sun shone hot and bright on the vibrant sea of tent roofs, which was separated here and there by winding white stone paths. Some tents were curtained, but most had one or no walls, to allow the breeze through. It was the one holiday of the year when the heat did not seem hell-sent; Sophia turned her face to the sunlight and let the happiness of memory wash over her, carried by the warmth. No child of Anatoray could forget discovering wonders at the festivals held for Lammas, the annual celebration of the first harvest.

A scarcer harvest with each passing year, she thought, her mood dimming for a moment. The decrease in food was accompanied by the increase in temperature; the heat last year had been nigh on unbearable. But this season had been blessed with a few rainy spells, and a cool breeze had even dared to rear its head today of all days.

“You’re dripping, dear,” Vincent said with the feigned stiffness of a nobleman. Sophia looked back down to earth to find that her fingers were already sticky with runoff from the small cup of lemon ice she held. With deftness and a little luck she caught the next drip on her tongue, and laughed at her own childishness. It was infectious; Vincent started chuckling as well.

He dropped the false formality and let his arm fall, clasping her hand in his briefly before stuffing both hands in his pockets. He wore loose white cotton trousers and a linen shirt of pale yellow; he would wear clothes less fitting of his rank, if he could, but his mother wouldn’t hear of it. Sophia could relate - her father could not bear to see her wearing any article of clothing that cost less than a hundred claudias. She thought it absurd, but only in private; after all, she was the daughter of the Emperor, and dared not show disobedience.

But by convincing him to allow her to attend the Royal Flight Academy, she had gotten her wish at last - in a roundabout way. She wore what she chose, but only because she had chosen the military, and the only option left at that point was the Academy uniform.

Today she wore civilian clothing, if one could call it that - a white dress that would be fairly cool if not for the silly brocade trim and heavy embroidery. Her aunt had commissioned it for her specifically for today, and uncomfortable as it was she had to wear it, along with the fine circlet of gold that marked her as the Princess.

Sighing, Sophia switched the lemon ice to her other hand and started licking the stickiness off her fingers. She hated being reminded how long ago her childhood had been, especially on holidays like this. She’d grown up too fast. Her father didn’t know how to handle children, so she’d chosen long ago not to be a child. Now she wished she could take it all back, if only so silly things like lemon ices on Lammas would still be as wondrous as they used to be.

“I believe I’ll ask Alex to trade,” Vincent said mildly.

“Mm?” Sophia looked up - she hardly realized she’d been watching the ground as she thought.

“Trade,” said Vincent. “You, Euris. Then you and Alex can go find a field to frolic in or something. Euris and I will plod along among the rest of us mere mortals.”

Sophia laughed. “I’m sorry, Vince,” she said, shaking her head. “I don’t know what’s wrong with me today. I should be thankful the weather’s so gorgeous...”

“And thankful you’ll be leaving the Academy for a prestigious job in a few months?” he asked, glancing sideways at her.

“Vince...” Her smile faded a little.

“A job that pays money you don’t need and takes you away from the only places you’ve ever known?” he added slyly.

“You’re a perceptive ass, you know that,” Sophia said with a grimace.

“It’s got to end sooner or later,” Vincent said with a vague gesture that encompassed not only the fairgrounds on which they stood, but the whole of the capitol city. “I don’t want it to any more than you do.”

“You can stay away,” Sophia murmured. “I have to come back. Someday.”

Vincent shrugged, but she knew he truly understood. She sighed again, and swished her somewhat melted ice around in the cup.

Just then they heard one of the rarest of sounds: Alex had laughed. Euris was smiling like the sun itself, and all of a sudden Sophia’s eyes were opened to the vibrant colors of the tent roofs, the laughter of children chasing each other on and off the paths, all manner of people chatting about all manner of things, and thought - _I will rule this place one day._

_Maybe it’s not such a bad place to rule._

She smiled at last, a true smile, and laughed softly at herself. It was Lammas, it wasn’t broiling outside, Alex was laughing, and she could afford not to be the Princess of Anatoray for one day.  
Euris was in such a state at whatever had coaxed a laugh from Alex that she did a little twirl on the spot and had to be caught before she fell. Alex tentatively let his hands linger on her, at last decisively slipping one arm around her waist. Euris leaned into the touch, still giggling.

“Those two are absolutely disgusting,” Vincent said fondly, and draped a heavy arm around Sophia’s shoulders in a brotherly fashion.

“Quite,” she murmured, pushing his arm off.

Vincent pretended to be hurt by this. “Alex, I’m being rejected,” he called. “Can’t we trade, just once?”

Alex turned, his usual furrowed brow replaced by what could almost be a smile. “Not a chance in hell,” he said.

“I think I’m offended,” Sophia muttered.

“No accounting for taste, dear,” Vincent told her in his best conciliatory voice.

“Oh, look!” cried Euris, pointing a little ahead and to the left. “It’s the same fortune-teller from last year!”

“There are a dozen fortune-tellers every year, Euris,” Sophia said patiently.

“No, no, I mean I saw this one,” Euris said. She and Alex fell back to walk alongside Vincent and Sophia. “He was brilliant.”

“He?” Vincent asked. “I’ve a great-aunt who does fortunes. I thought it was an old wives’ thing.”

“I wouldn’t know,” said Euris, whose middle-class family wasn’t as fond of tradition and propriety as the noble caste Vincent hailed from. “But he was here last year and he predicted Alex and I getting together.”

“In so many words?” Sophia asked skeptically.

“Well...”

“You know they only make the vaguest predictions, ones that can easily be interpreted as meaningful after the fact,” Alex interjected.

“Oh?” A small, wicked smile played at the corners of Euris’ mouth. “Then why don’t you have a go, for science’s sake? Tell us how vague your future is.”

Vincent laughed outright at that. Alex started to protest, but Vincent slapped him on the back and Sophia, grinning, said, “You can’t deny a lady’s request on Lammas, Alex.”

“Oh go on,” Vincent snickered. “Alex at a fortune-teller’s. It’s history in the making.”

“You can’t be serious,” Alex said, glancing darkly at Vincent before turning his unfathomable gaze on Euris.

Her expression softened. “Oh, for heaven’s sakes, it’s a holiday,” she said, tilting her head in that irresistible way she had. “It’s a silly thing and it won’t kill you. Please?”

He glared once more at Vincent, who was still grinning, then sighed. “Lead on,” he said.

Euris gave a gleeful little cackle and did just that, taking Alex and Sophia’s hands and dragging them on, leaving Vincent to bring up the rear alone. The fortune-teller’s booth was only a few yards away, recognizable by its complete enclosure - it would be broiling inside, no doubt, despite the light color of the canvas. The roof of the tent was bright yellow, its walls a swirling pattern of off-white on cream. A small man, middle-aged and gray-haired, stood outside the entrance smiling at passersby.

“There he is!” Euris said happily. She let go of Sophia’s hand and waved at the small man, who, seeing her, beamed and inclined his head.

Sophia hung back with Vincent and watched Euris exchange a few laughing words with the fortune-teller before handing Alex over to him. The small man - a Mr. Tavarius, according to the colorful sign across the front of the tent -- held the entrance open for Alex, then followed him and let the flap fall shut.

“So what is it, crystal balls, palmistry, tea leaves?” Vincent still sounded inordinately amused by the whole concept. He probably didn’t believe in it any more than Alex did.

“Cards,” Euris replied with a grin.

“Are you going in, too?” asked Sophia, wondering if Euris was planning on dragging anyone else into it.

“Oh no,” said Euris. “I got quite a good reading last year and I’d rather stop while I’m ahead.”

“Honestly, how did a pack of cards tell you you were going to catch Alex?” Vincent asked. “It’s all ridiculous.”

Euris didn’t take offense, merely shrugged. “I know perfectly well it’s all smoke and mirrors,” she said. “But the combination of cards just seemed to fit me, more than I could explain away. There was the hermit card, and the hanged man, and another that was all sea and travel, and this was only a few weeks after Genuas. Remember?”

“Of course,” Sophia said with a frown. “You never told me the Genuas thing ever came up again after we got back. Harmony doesn’t talk about it.”

“No, well,” Euris said, looking uncomfortable. “You know, it was just a bunch of cards. But it caught my attention. And Mr. Tavarius said those cards were for the past. Then he went on to the future... which didn’t make any sense at the time, but I kept them in mind, and they all fell into place eventually. It was strange. Like deja vu, in reverse.”

“You think there really is something to it?” Vincent asked quite seriously.

“I don’t know,” Euris said. Then she smiled and laughed. “It doesn’t really matter. It’s a bit of fun, that’s all. I don’t suppose it tells you anything overwhelmingly important, and you probably do read more into it than was ever there to start with. I only wanted to see if I could get Alex to do it - and Mr. Tavarius is quite nice.”

Vincent shook his head and Sophia laughed knowingly. They spent the next few minutes perusing a table of wooden crafts across the path from Tavarius’ booth until Alex emerged again, sweating and blinking against the sudden light. He bowed to Tavarius, money changed hands, and then Alex was making his way to where Euris, Sophia and Vincent were waiting as if he couldn’t get far enough away from the fortune-teller’s booth.

“What’s the verdict?” Vincent asked as Alex approached. “Captain of a royal fleet ship? Future king of Anatoray? World domination?”

Alex shook his head. His reticence seemed less intentional than usual - he looked at a loss for words, not that he ever had many to start with.

“Alex?” Sophia asked, mildly concerned. “Are you all right?”

“Yes,” he said finally. “It’s hot in there.” He visibly pulled himself together, his mind working overtime behind that steady expression to come up with a decent answer.

“Vague enough for you?” Euris asked shrewdly.

Alex opened his mouth, hesitated, then seemed to change his mind. He shook his head, then did the unexpected - he smiled, a wide, true smile, teeth and all. He wasn’t looking straight at Euris, but Sophia knew the smile was for her alone. It lasted only a second before fading to a mildly pleasant expression. He slid his arm around Euris’ waist once again and said, “It was nothing at all. A lot of vague filler interspersed with images that could be taken any which way.”

Euris _hmph_ ed, but Sophia saw her put her arm around Alex as well. They started off down the path once again, bickering amiably. Vincent followed with a roll of his eyes as if to say _they’re hopeless,_ but Sophia stood a moment, still wondering about Alex’s moment of hesitation. Something the fortune-teller had said had gotten to him.

She glanced one last time at the booth, and Tavarius happened to meet her eyes. He beamed, just as he did to everyone, but Sophia thought she saw something knowing in his dark eyes.

Sophia turned, shaking her head, and followed Vincent.

\---

_“Here is Belladonna, the Lady of the Rocks,_  
The lady of situations.  
Here is the man with three staves, and here the Wheel,  
And here is the one-eyed merchant, and this card,  
Which is blank, is something he carries on his back,  
Which I am forbidden to see. I do not find  
The Hanged Man. Fear death by water.” 

\---

**Author's Note:**

> -'The Waste Land,' T.S. Eliot
> 
> The one-eyed merchant, Walker, carries the forbidden mysteria. Belladonna, Delphine, beautiful and deadly. The Hanged Man in Euris' past is absent from Alex's future. The Stream is death and life and death.
> 
> I wrote this years ago when I was spending a lot of time in boring high school classes sketching out background and worldbuilding for the LE 'verse.


End file.
